


Changes

by Wolfsbanedraft



Category: Free Anime, Free!
Genre: All x reader, Comedy, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Iwatobi, Multiple Endings, Reader-Insert, Romance, Self-Insert, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, reader - Freeform, slight angst, x Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-03-27 13:29:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13881852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfsbanedraft/pseuds/Wolfsbanedraft
Summary: Because of events out of your control you find yourself shipped off to a small sea side town called Iwatobi. And if being a foreigner living alone abroad wasn't bad enough you suddenly find yourself coerced into a new swim club and shoved into an old rivalry between friends.Can you learn to love the water again? Will you be able to pick sides amongst your closest friends?Only one person can hold your heart in the end, who will it be?





	1. Opening

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work for Free! and I'm excited to share it with you!! The story will begin as an all x reader but be warned, you can only end up with one of these handsome boys.
> 
> The reader in this fic is American and English is her first language, Japanese her second. If you see something in bold it's in English

You stared out the window as the lights of Iwatobi came closer and closer. It had been a short 20 hour flight from New York to the airport closest to the small beach town, and now, you found yourself at the end of your bus ride into your new home. The bus pulled into Iwatobi station and you followed the trickle of people out into the night. You breathed in the cool night air, both relishing the tang of the sea and hating it all at once. You still didn't understand how something that terrified you so much could have such a calming effect on you. And maybe you never would.

You silently thanked your father for diligently teaching you Japanese as you made your way through the deserted streets. The numerous signs, and Google maps, were all that could guide you to your new house. ‘New’ being a bit generous.

“This place is ancient. . .” You groan. “I guess this is the Japanese equivalent of grandma's old cottage?” Blinking up at the old house you stepped forward and inserted your key into the door. Stepping inside was like stepping into someone else's life. Your family's lawyers had promised it would come furnished, but. . . This was too much. This wasn't your house. This wasn't your life. But as you placed your suitcases down you had to accept the inevitable. You were here now, there's no changing the past, there's no chasing dreams. You get what you get.

Might as well make the best of it.

After peeking in every room and closet, and dragging your few belongings to the bedroom you chose, you finally glanced down at your phone. It was only 9pm? Time sure does go by slowly when you're doing something you hate. You glance around the room. . . Your room. And decide you want out. So without further ado you grab the warmest hoodie you own and step out into the night. You let your eyes roam over the new architecture and eventually the darkened surface of the ocean, not really paying attention to where you were headed. Or what was in front of you. Eyes glued to the sea, you failed to notice the man sitting in the sand, until you tripped over him.

“ **Oh my god!** ” you exclaim, as you topple onto the beach. “Are you okay? I'm so sorry!” The stranger glares up at you before standing up. “I'm fine.” he growls. You watched as he dusted himself off before his crimson eyes moved down to you. He clicked his tongue in annoyance before offering you his hand, which you hastily took.

“T-thanks,” you mutter as he pulled you up.

“You should watch where you're fucking going. I didn't come out here to get tackled by some tourist!” he chided. You frowned ‘it's not like I came out here to trip over someone!’.

“I'm really sorry about that, I didn't see you sitting there. In the sand. In the dark.” You apologized again. “And I'm not a tourist, I live here.” you gestured towards your house before crossing your arms. You didn't know why this guy was so pissy, but there was only so much you could take in one day.

“You live here?” he asked, a bit incredulously. “I've never seen you before, and with that accent you're definitely not from here.” He raised an eyebrow at you, maroon hair falling into his face.

You sighed tiredly. “That's probably because I just moved in an hour ago. And, accent? I know my pronunciation could use some work but I didn't know it was that bad. . .”

“Trust me,” he snorted. “it's bad. You from America?”

“Yeah.” you replied. “Just flew in actually. You can tell just from my voice?” You were a bit nervous, if he could tell you didn't belong here just by your voice. . . How would you fair at school? The man was actually looking a bit interested now, though.

“Are you going to Iwatobi High then?” he asked. “What year are you?”

“Uhmm. Well I was a senior but because I had to leave school early to move, and the different curriculums, I'm a second year here. You?” You explained, though you were still a bit fuzzy on the details of the Japanese school system. And still a bit salty at having to take another year of school.

“Hmph, I'm a second year too.” he replied.

“Oh, do you go to Iwa-"

“As if! I go to Samezuka Academy.” He cut you off.

“Should I be impressed?” you asked, a small smile tugging at your lips as you saw the face he pulled when he realised you knew nothing about his prestigious school.

“Considering Samezuka is ten times the school Iwatobi will ever be, I'd say yes.” he grinned.

“Well, they let you in so it can't be that great.” You hummed, your smile turning into a wide grin. Your anger was rapidly fading. If you could have conversations like this, like the ones you'd had with your friends, it might not be so bad here. At the thought of your friends you paused and gave the maroon hot head a calculating glance. ‘He may be loud but he's fun, even if he's a bit of a douche.’ “What's your name anyways? If you don't mind me asking,” you added to his surprise. He paused before answering you.

“It's Matsuoka Rin.” Rin answered you shortly before looking at you expectantly.

“I'm (Y/N). And you can just call me (Y/N), I haven't quite gotten used to the whole honorifics thing. . .” You admitted before looking up at Rin nervously. “So I should just call you. . .?” You trailed off, waiting for his reply. Rin was suddenly glad it was nighttime, because he could feel his cheeks flush as you looked up at him with those wide (E/C) eyes. He thought for a second before smirking and turning away.

“Matsuoka-Senpai.” he hummed waving you off lazily as he walked away. “And, _(Y/N)-Chan_ , welcome to Iwatobi.” You rolled your eyes as he walked away, betting there was a shit eating grin on his face.

“Some welcoming committee!” you shouted after him.

He let out a loud laugh, showing sharp teeth. “What? Not like how it is in manga?” He teased making you chuckle.

“Trust me, if this was a manga you'd be a lot hotter!” you retorted. With that you turned and walked away, missing the exasperated glare he gave you.


	2. Fish Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually tried cooking mackerel recently..... tried

You woke up late the next day. Maybe it was the jet lag, maybe it was the depression. But you didn't have anywhere to go except the grocery store. . . Was it too much to ask for a Wal-Mart here? You sighed and pried yourself out of bed and into some comfy clothes. Grabbing your phone and wallet you hesitated as you headed out the door, eyes drawn to the garment laid out on the kitchen table. 

 

“I almost forgot I put my uniform down here, good thing I saw it. . . Though that mini skirt looks pretty. . . Mini.” you mused, silently lamenting the fact Iwatobi high had a uniform at all. You'd need it though for the orientation tomorrow so you made a metal note to remember where it was.

 

The closest grocery store to your house was small but had a surprisingly good selection. You grabbed enough food to last you a little while before wandering over to their seafood section. This was an ocean town after all, the amount of fresh fish was much more than you'd seen in any market back home. You eyed the fillets hungrily as you thought of all the different recipes you could make. Reaching for a particularly thick piece of mackerel you were a bit surprised when another hand beat you to it. 

 

You looked up to find dark blue eyes staring down at you. “Sorry,” He said. “Did you want this?” The boy held up the fish, offering it to you.

 

“No I'm fine, thanks though. I'm probably better at cooking salmon anyways.” you laugh. The boy looked a bit relieved at that, you could tell he really wanted to keep that fish. 

 

“Salmon is good, but nothing can compare to mackerel. Here.” He insisted, grabbing another slice and holding it out to you.

 

“O-oh! I'm okay, really.” You babbled. “Besides I've never actually cooked mackerel before so I should probably stick with what I know. . .” You trailed off, eyes glued to the shocked expression on his face. Apparently mackerel was something very important to him.

 

“You've. . . Never had mackerel?” He asked, more to himself then to you.

 

“No?” You responded timidly. The boy dropped both packages into his basket before grabbing your hand, a fierce light in his eyes.

 

“I'm going to make you mackerel.” he said with certainty as he began to pull you away. You followed blindly for a few seconds before reality came crashing back.

 

“Hey! Wait I can't just go with a stranger to cook fish! Besides I haven't paid for my groceries!” You cried. The boy paused before parading on, saying that you'd check out together on the way out. You groaned as he dragged you with him. To be fair he didn't seem like the type of person who'd hurt you. But you could never be sure.

 

The two of you got all the way to the checkout lanes before a deep voice stopped you. “Hey, Haru, I've been looking all over for- O-oh! Hello there.” A tall brunette ran up to the two of you stopping his scolding when his green eyes landed on you. He looked down, noticing Haru’s grip on your hand. “What are you doing, Haru?”

 

“Makoto,” Haru started, his voice strong and passionate. “She's never had mackerel.” Makoto stared at him, wide eyed, before bursting into laughter. You glanced away, feeling your face heat up, his laugh was way too cute.

 

“You can't just kidnap people because they haven't had mackerel, Haru!” Makoto berated.

 

“I'm not kidnapping her, she wants to try it,” Haru squeezed your hand and you found yourself caught in his gaze. “Right?” Damn those blue eyes. As soon as he turned those babies towards you it was all over.

 

“. . . Yeah,” You caved. Haru’s face lit up at your agreement and he turned to Makoto again.

 

“See?” Makoto shrugged, giving you a tired smile when Haru started putting his groceries on the counter. You returned the smile, a bit nervously, and somehow you felt like he knew you were just going along for Haru’s sake.

 

The three of you finished up and followed Haru out of the store. While you walked Makoto tried his best to make up for Haru’s silence.

 

“So are you new here, or just visiting?” He asked. 

 

“New, just moved in yesterday.” You explained. Makoto grinned at you, it had been a long time since anyone new had moved to Iwatobi and they usually weren't around his age.

 

“That's great! Welcome, where'd you move here from? Er, if you don't mind me asking. . .” Makoto inquired. 

 

You couldn't keep the smile off your face as you looked up at the brunettes shy grin. “It's fine, I moved here from (home town) in America.” Makoto was definitely giving you a better welcome than Rin, or Matsuoka-Senpai, had last night. You were definitely glad not all the people in Iwatobi were as rude as him.

 

“Wow that's far! And you speak Japanese so well, I would have never guessed you were from America!” He praised. 

 

“Thanks, I guess.” You laughed, blushing at his compliment. “But I still need to work on a few things. I can read print fine but handwriting still messes me up. And the honorific system is a nightmare.” You sighed and ran a hand through your (H/C) hair. You had never really had to use them with your dad or grandparents so now you were trying desperately to learn them again. “Oh, but! You guys are Makoto and Haru, right? What should I call you?” Makoto blinked, his face heating up as you stared at him nervously.Your eyebrows were furrowed, mouth pulled downwards in a soft pout, and your big (E/C) eyes shone with nervousness. Even Haru found the sight of your vulnerable face a bit too much to take as he turned away from you again, ears tinged red.

 

“It's fine with me if you call me Makoto, really.” he reassured you. “It's hard to learn a new language, my English is terrible so I know how you feel.” 

 

Haru shrugged, not bothering to look at you. “Haru is fine with me. But, what was your name again?”

 

Makoto gaped at his friend. “You didn't ask her who she was before you dragged her along!?” Haru shrugged again and you began to realise that he must always be like this ‘The silent brooding type hmm?’ You let your mind wander as the three of you finished up your trip.

 

“This is it,” Haru said shortly, bringing you out of your thoughts. However when you looked up you were met with the familiar facade of your own home. Haru and Makoto were standing a few feet away on a different doorstep. A doorstep connected to the house right next to yours.

 

“No way. . .”


	3. New Kid

Last night had gone surprisingly well. Makoto and Haru were really nice and after only one evening with them you already felt like you'd known them for years. Makoto had been an absolute sweetheart to you the whole night too, even walking you to your door when you left. He apparently only lived a few minutes away too and he offered, and forced you to accept, to walk with you to school tomorrow. And that's what lead you to your current predicament. It was closing in on seven a.m., the time you promised to meet Makoto outside your house, and you still hadn't figured out how to tie the ribbon on your uniform. You were about to rip the damn thing to shreds when you heard a knock on your door. 

 

“Makoto,” You greeted as you walked out to meet him. “Sorry I wasn't outside, I just can't seem to figure this bow out.” Makoto laughed softly as he pulled the ribbon from your hands.

 

“It's fine, and I get it, when I was a first year my dad had to show me how to knot my tie a million times before I got it. You mind if I. . .?” He held the ribbon up sheepishly and you immediately nodded, moving your hair out of the way.

 

“Please do, I've been trying for ages.” You wined. Makoto moved closer, slipping the ribbon under your collar. His hands felt hot against your neck and you couldn't help stealing a glance at him while he worked, his green eyes narrowed in concentration before they trailed up your face to meet yours. 

 

“Done,” He said happily. 

 

You looked down at the perfect ribbon tied around your neck. “How!? And you did it so fast too!” Makoto grinned at you as he watched you fawn over the ribbon. He couldn't help letting his eyes roam down over your body. You had looked cute yesterday in your casual clothes, but the uniform accentuated your beauty in a different way.

 

“It suits you,” He told you with a smile.

 

“Thanks,” You replied, suddenly feeling shy as the brunette looked down at you. “Oh, should we wait for Haru?”

 

“Hah, probably not, it's just the assembly today so he's probably not going to show. We should head out though.” Makoto explained. You nodded and followed after him as he began to lead the way.

 

\----

 

“Hello, my name is (Y/N)(L/N) and I just moved here from America. I know my Japanese isn't the best, but I look forward to learning with you all.” You finished the introduction, cheeks red, and looked around the room. Thankfully everyone looked friendly, and there was Makoto giving you an encouraging smile from the back of the classroom.

 

“It's nice to meet you, (Y/N)!” The teacher, Miss Amakata said cheerfully. “You must have so many interesting stories about living over there, we must talk some time! Oh but for now I guess you should just take your seat, there's one over there in front of Tachibana-kun.” She seemed nice, a little ditzy, but nice. And you got to sit near Makoto!

 

‘This isn't nearly as bad as it could have been.’

 

The classes passed quickly and before you realised it was time for lunch. Makoto offered to eat with you but was swept away by a bunch of friends from his first year here. It was probably for the best anyways, you couldn't keep hanging onto your friendly giant forever. So you meandered around the campus for a bit before finding the perfect patch of grass to settle into. 

 

You were only a bite into your lunch when someone called out to you. “Hi there! Mind if we join you?” Looking up you saw a girl with long maroon hair followed by a brunette.

 

“I don't mind,” You reassured her.

 

“Great!” she plopped down next to you happily and her friend followed suit. “You're the new student from America right?”

 

“Uh yeah, that's me. Didn't know word would spread so fast.” You laughed nervously, rubbing the back of your neck. 

 

“There's nothing else to talk about, Iwatobi is pretty boring.” The brunette chimed in. “I'm Chigusa and this is Gou, but just call her Kou.”  She added the last part after the red head delivered an annoyed slap to her arm.

 

“I'm (Y/N), are you guys in my grade?” You looked to them eagerly, it would be nice to have female friends to hang out with. Unfortunately they both shook their heads.

 

“No,” Said Kou. “We're first years. Why, do I look older?” She looked to you, a happy gleam in her eyes. 

 

“Mhm, though I'm pretty bad at telling age.” You laughed. “I love your hair though, I'm so jealous!” Kou’s face brightened, a faint flush on her cheeks. 

 

“Careful, (Y/N)” Chigusa hummed playfully. “If you keep complimenting her she'll turn as red as her hair.” Kou wined and all but pounced on her friend, causing the two of you to burst into laughter.

 

‘This is nice.’ You thought. ‘This feels like home.’

  
  


\-----

  
  


“ **At least there wasn't any homework** ,” You murmured as you stared up at the night sky. “ **And everyone seemed pretty nice** . . .” 

 

The first day of school had ended without any incident and you'd decided to take another walk around the town after dinner. And now here you were sitting on the beach, gazing at the new stars. You were so engrossed in your own thoughts that you didn't hear the footsteps coming towards you.

 

“I should step on you,” Rin growled. Your head whipped around at the sound of his voice.

 

“R- um, Matsuoka-Senpai, I didn't hear you.” You stammered.

 

He looked down at you with an exasperated expression. “I couldn't tell.”

 

“Well sorry I wasn't expecting you to follow me out here tonight, Senpai.” You teased him. He opened his mouth to argue but stopped at the sly smirk on your face.

 

“You're a pain in the ass, you know that?”

 

You shrugged, still smiling happily. “I try. There's plenty of beach if you still want to sit down, didn't mean to take your spot.” You half expected him to leave, give you another snarky remark and be on his way. But he eased down next to you. He was easy company when he wanted to be. 

 

“Do you come here to think?” You broke the silence after a few minutes.

 

“Yeah. It's quiet,” Rin glanced over at you. “Usually.” You rolled your eyes, settling back into silence. 

 

“Do you. . . Do you like living here?” Rin blinked, your voice was quieter than usual, there was no happy tone. 

 

“You talk a lot,” He scoffed, but his eyes were soft, looking at you a lot more kindly than ever before. It suited him.

 

“To be fair, I spent years learning this language, might as well use it.” Rin chuckled at that, letting himself lean back into the sand. 

 

“That actually makes sense. And yes, I like it here, but it's not where I think I'll live the rest of my life. I was in Australia up until recently, I'd love to go back. . .” He explained. 

 

“Wow, it must be a lot warmer over there. And that means you're kinda like me, we're both new here.” You grinned. 

 

“Nope, I lived here a while back. You're still the only helpless newbie here, (Y/N)-Chan.” You pouted at him though it was hard to stay upset when you saw how his eyes crinkled when he smiled.

 

“Figures.” You sighed.

 

“Well, what about you? You like it here?”

 

“. . . I don't know yet.” Was all you could say.


	4. Welcome To The Club

“You want me to do what!?”

 

“Join the swim club!” Kou repeated. She reached out and grabbed your hands, looking up at you with passionate eyes. “We've only got four members right now, the more members we have the more funding we can get!”

 

“But, Kou I'm not even that great of a swimmer!” You protested. 

 

“That's okay! Because,” A new voice joined into Kou’s pleas. “You're cute!” The stranger looked at you, grinning widely as he gave you a big thumbs up. 

 

“What!?”

 

“Nagisa! You can't just start flirting with her, we want her to join us not for her to run away!” Kou scolded the boy. Nagisa laughed happily as your friend continued to reprimand him.

 

“What's the matter, Gou? Makoto and Haru said that they had a cute new neighbour that could join the club. I just wanted to ask her first but you beat me to it.” The blonde said with a sweet pout. 

 

‘Wait did he say Haru and Makoto said I was cute!?’ You panicked. 

 

“It's Kou!” Kou practically shouted at Nagisa. “Besides, (Y/N) here already promised me she'd join!”

 

“I did no such thing!” 

 

“Oh come on, it's not like you've joined any other clubs. And if you join us you'll be able to hang out with Haru, Makoto, and me all the time!” Kou told you confidently. Looking into get eyes you could tell she wasn't going to give this up any time soon, and your new friend Nagisa looked ready to drag you to the pool by force.

 

“I don't really have any choice in this. Do I?” You sighed. And, as if on cue, Nagisa and Kou both grabbed your hands simultaneously.

 

“Nope!” They cheered.

 

And that was how you found yourself in front of the most decrepit pool you'd ever seen in your life. There were bugs crawling around, giant cracks in the pool’s lining, and about a thousand weeds growing wherever they could. Makoto waved to you when you walked closer, the poor boy was covered in dirt and he still looked cute.

 

“(Y/N)! You came!” He greeted you happily.

 

“I almost wish I didn't. . . Can we even call this a pool?” You groaned. 

 

“Aww don't say that! It just needs some TLC, and maybe some weed killer.” Nagisa laughed.

 

You glared at the cheerful boy. “Why do I feel like the reason why you asked me to join was so I'd help you clean up this pool?”

 

“Whaaaaat? No way, (Y/N)!” He replied innocently, though you could see his eyes shine with mischief. “Now! Let's get going!!”

  
  


“Let's. . . Stop going.” Nagisa sighed. And you had no problems with that at all. It had been hours since you had started and there was still so much work to do, it would probably take days of hard work to finish. Though at this point you had already put in too much work to give up on the project. You let yourself fall back against the bottom of the pool, already too sweaty and dirty to care about any more grime. Makoto however seemed like he couldn't take any more of it.

 

“(Y/N),” He said. “There's dirt all over your face.”

 

You reached up and wiped at your forehead. “There?” By the look of his grimace you'd say you missed.

 

“You're just spreading it around,” He laughed before walking over to you. “Here, let me help.” You pried yourself off the ground when Makoto got to you. He untied his jacket from his waist and used the sleeve to wipe at the dirt on your face.

 

“Your jacket is gonna get dirty,” You complained as Makoto continued to mother you.

 

“I think that ship's sailed,” Makoto chuckled as he continued to get the grime off of you. You couldn't help blushing as he carefully made sure every inch of your face was clean. But you were still covered in dirt, maybe if you asked him he'd make sure the rest of you was clean too?

 

‘I really need to clean up my thoughts. . .Makoto is way too sweet for his own good.’ You thought, face a deep scarlet. Lost in your thoughts you didn't see the the look in his eyes as he ran the fabric over your skin, stopping just below your lips.

 

“. . .Makoto?” You asked. Smiling when the he almost jumped back at your voice. “I think all the dirt is gone.” 

 

“R-right!” He stuttered.

 

“You two ready yet?” Haru asked. You raised a brow at his cold tone, colder than usual at least, and crossed arms. It seemed like Makoto knew more about his mood then you did as he quickly distanced himself from you.

 

“Ready, Haru.” Replied Makoto.

 

“Same here,” You hummed.

 

The three of you headed home, Makoto making sure to let Haru walk next to you.

 

\---

 

“So we making this a regular thing or what?” Asked your maroon companion.

 

“Looks like it, though I actually came out here to walk tonight. I need to get some exercise.” You sheepishly rubbed your neck. You'd come out tonight after realising just how out of shape you were. You had gotten tired much faster than any of the boys when you cleaned the pool, that and the fact that you had just joined an athletic club made you want to improve your endurance. 

“Exercise, huh?” Rin thought for a second before grinning devilishly at you. “You know, I used to run this way every night and if you're going to keep following me out here we might as well get something out of it.”

 

“You want me to run with you?” You asked him incredulously. ‘I didn't think he'd ever voluntary offer to spend time with another person, or maybe just me.’ 

 

“Yeah. If you can keep up that is.” His grin widened as you sent him a grumpy look. 

 

“I probably can't,” You admitted, head down. “But that doesn't mean I won't try!” Rin jumped back as you dashed past him, his shock didn't last long however and he quickly caught up to you.

 

“Don't get ahead of yourself!” 

 

“Hey,” You laughed. “A girl's gotta try!”


	5. Hand Warmer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is kinda shorter than the otherssssss. sorry! I wanted to start giving Nagisa a chance ;)
> 
> Also! Like I said this starts off as an all x reader but in the end you can only be with one of them. So I may start a poll for which character everyone is rooting for! Leave a name in the comments if you have a favorite or just want them to have more "Screen" time.

“Looks like it should be done tomorrow, man we really worked fast!” Nagisa cheered. There were smiles all around. You’d all worked hard cleaning up the pool for the past two days and you’ve finally finished everything, now you just had to let the paint dry and fill it up. Everyone was ecstatic but no one was as excited as Haru. You could tell how much he wanted to swim by how he stared at the empty pool. You walked over to where he stood by the pool’s edge.

 

“I’m sure it’ll be warm enough to swim soon, besides it shouldn’t take that long to fill it with water.” You said, nudging him lighty. Haru nodded and gave you a small smile at your attempt to cheer him up.

 

“Yeah.” He hummed, nudging you back. You turned to leave but felt Haru’s hand tugging you back. “Hey, wait. Let’s go eat something, all of us.” He added. Haru’s dark blue eyes flickered up to you almost sheepishly.

 

“I don’t want mackerel again, Haru!” Nagisa cried, making Haru pout.

 

“There’s nothing wrong with mackerel.” Haru mumbled, dropping your hand to cross his arms childishly.

 

“I know, I know, Haru.” Makoto chuckled. “But (Y/N) is new here after all, maybe we should take her to that curry place we used to go to all the time.”

 

“That sounds like fun, I haven’t really had much time to try anything new yet.” You sighed. “To be honest I was just planning on making myself a PB and J when I got home tonight.” You had wanted to experience some of the culture of Iwatobi while you were here but life got in the way. 

 

“Isn’t that what you keep bringing for lunch?” Asked Nagisa. You stiffened up, face red.

 

“I-It’s just really easy to make! Bentos are hard if you’ve never made them before.” Nagisa laughed happily at your red face. 

 

“You should bring me some next time, (Y/N)! But for now. . .” Nagisa paused for dramatic effect before striking a pose, pointing at- what you guessed was- the town. “Let’s eat!” Nagisa dropped the pose and happily grasped your hand. Haru shot him a glare, which Nagisa didn’t miss. “Oh shush, Haru! You were holding (Y/N’s) hand earlier, I felt so left out!” Haru rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything else as Nagisa swung your arm happily. As you headed out the last thing you expected was Kou intertwining her fingers with your free hand. You glanced over at her questioningly but she simply gave you a cheeky grin as she started to swing your arm in time with Nagisa.

  
  


You rubbed your arms slowly as you sat in the booth, sending Kou and Nagisa a few sour looks. They, of course, feigned innocence and hid their faces behind their menus. The restaurant was full, people chatting and eating happily, hopefully that was a testament to how good the food was here. You looked over your own menu for a bit before turning to the boys you were sandwiched between. “What do you usually get?”

 

“The beef.”

 

“The fish.”

 

You hesitated at their immediate replies before laughing loudly. “I should have guessed!” Blue and green eyes watched you fondly as you tried to stem your laughter. That wasn’t the last time you had to do that either, that night you had the best dinner you’d had since you left America.

 

It wasn’t till Haru and Makoto had walked you home that you started to feel guilty. You hadn’t met with Rin tonight for your jog. You doubted he would have waited for you, and it was already past when you usually met. You looked towards the ocean one last time before heading to bed.

 

As it turns out you were wrong about him. Rin paced the beach for almost an hour, waiting for you. He eventually left, but not without a feeling of disappointment.


	6. Poster Girl

Your alarm woke you up at six a.m. like always and you somehow found the energy to leave your warm bed. Going through your daily routine you got dressed, finished up last night’s assignments and then went into the kitchen to make your breakfast and lunch. You reached for the bread before stopping short. Nagisa had made a fair point last night about the PB and Js and you  _ did _ have some salmon somewhere around here. . . You pulled your hair into a (Long/Short) ponytail, eyes burning with determination, and got to work on your first bento. 

 

It was tight but you finished just in time to meet Haru and Makoto to walk to school. “Hey guys!”

 

“Hey, (Y/N). Oh? Something smells good, no peanut butter today?” Makoto asked you. You proudly held up your lunchbox.

 

“I took Nagisa’s words to heart and actually cooked something today.” You continued on, more than a little pep in your step.

 

“Is it mackerel?” Asked Haru. 

 

“No, sorry. Just salmon today, Haru.” You laughed. Haru sighed, starting in on his salmon vs mackerel speech again as you and Makoto gave each other knowing looks. You couldn't help messing with him a little. “I was going to offer you some since I made extra, but if you're so against salmon I guess I'll just give it all to Makoto and Nagisa.” You embellished the lie with a dramatic sigh and you didn't need to look at Haru to know it had worked.

 

“H-hey! I didn't say that I wouldn't _ eat _ salmon.” Haru grumbled, walking faster to catch up with the two of you. 

 

\--

 

“Ahhh, (Y/N)! You should cook for us more often!” Nagisa sighed, belly full of food. He leaned on to your shoulder in what you thought was an affectionate gesture before you realised he was just trying to get at your lunchbox.

 

“Hey!” You exclaimed, moving it away from him. “The only thing left in there is a cookie, and it's my last one so hands off!”

 

“But (Y/N)!” He whined. “I'm still hungry, and you can just buy more!”

 

“Uh uh, I made this, and I'm going to eat it!” You looked at him with narrowed eyes but Nagisa didn't make any more moves towards the forbidden cookie. In fact he'd actually sat back, looking more excited than before.

 

“You bake!? Makoto, did you know? Haru?”

 

“Nope, this is the first I'm hearing of it.” Makoto shrugged. Haru just shook his head.

 

“What's the big deal? I just like baking. Lots of people do.” You frowned. Nagisa jumped up, a fire in his eyes.

 

“The big deal is- you're a cute girl who can bake! We could be having homemade chocolates, fresh chocolate chip cookies, hell, even macaroons! All made by our cute (Y/N)-chan!” Nagisa ranted. You debated running away while he was in his little fantasy land but you didn't want to leave Haru and Makoto behind with this cookie fiend. “That's it!” He shouted, making you jump. “You should bake cookies for whoever joins the club! And if that isn't enough advertisement we could have you only wearing an apron on th-"

 

“No!” You, Makoto, and Haru all shouted, cutting off his speech.

 

“That's going way too over the top, Nagisa!” You scolded. The boy practically deflated at your words. You tried to stay angry as he pathetically tugged at your jacket. But you failed. How could anyone stay mad at such a cute face?!

 

“. . . How about a compromise. You drop the apron spiel and  _ if _ you get a new member. IF. . . I'll bake us all some cookies to celebrate.” Nagisa wasn't the only one who looked excited when you said that, you could see Makoto grinning next to Haru who actually had a small smile on his face.

 

“Deal!” Yelled Nagisa. “Now I just have to get someone to join!” To your surprise he actually ran off after he yelled that. You were left staring at the spot where your energetic blonde was.

 

“Well. . . That's one way to get some peace and quiet.”

 

“Haru!”

 

\----

 

Hands reaching down you stretched forward towards your left leg before switching to your right. The last time you'd ran with Rin you hadn't done as well as you would have liked. So this time you were going to make sure you were ready for a run. Once you finished stretching you started walking along the beach and it wasn't long before you caught sight of a familiar black tracksuit.

 

“Hey.” Rin greeted you when you were close enough. You waved back at him, he looked grumpier than usual and it didn't take him long to let you know why. “Where were you last night?”

 

“What? Oh. Oh! Last night I got roped into going out to eat with my club. I'm sorry I missed our run. I wanted to tell you but I didn't have any way to do so. . .” Rin shrugged, secretly relieved you didn't just forget about him. However, his grumpy look was soon replaced by a mischievous grin.

 

“Is that your attempt at asking for my number?” He teased, getting what he wanted as your face turned bright red.

 

“Don't flatter yourself. But, I guess that would actually be pretty useful if we keep running with each other.” You mused.

 

“Hand it over then.” He ordered. Rin held out a hand and you fumbled with your phone as you quickly pulled it out and unlocked it. He took it from you and silently typed into it as you looked on nervously. When he was done he switched it off and handed it back to you. “Alright, you better not ditch me again without telling me now that you have my number.”

 

“Alright,” You huffed. “Let's get going.”

  
  


The next day you woke up to a text.

 

_ “You pushed yourself hard last night. Don't be late for school. -Senpai” _

 

He would name himself that. Wouldn’t he?


	7. Sea Bunny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't seen a Sea Bunny. Please, go, look.

Rin woke up early that morning, jolted awake by the sound of Nitori closing the door to their room. He groaned and sat up as he checked his phone. It was only six and his classes didn’t start till nine. He debated going back to sleep but knew that Nitori would just come back and wake him up again. Rin thought for a moment about what he could do since he was up before his mind settled on a certain something, or someone. 

 

‘Might as well text her. Not like she’d be up though.’ Rin typed out a message, deleted it, then typed it out again. Only sending it when he was sure it was perfect.

 

_ “You pushed yourself hard last night. Don’t be late for school.” _ Rin sent it and tossed it down on his bed as he started to get dressed. He wasn’t expecting you to respond so quickly. 

 

He’d never admit it but he practically pounced on his phone when he realised it was you.  _ “I feel like crap ( = ^ = ) My legs are going to fall off.” - Sea Bunny. _ Rin chuckled at your text and immediately wrote his reply.

 

_ “You barely ran at all you slug.” _

 

_ “That’s not true, you shark! I just have shorter legs so I have to run twice as hard to keep up with you!!”- Sea Bunny _

 

_ “Whatever you have to tell yourself, kid. Though if you want some extra endurance training you should come swim with me at Samezuka. Though I’d wipe the floor with you :/ ” _ Rin couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he messaged you. He didn’t even hear Nitori come back in until the boy let out a soft cough.

 

“Um, Matsuoka-Senpai? You’re smiling really wide. . . Are you okay?” Nitori stuttered. Rin immediately dropped the smile, looking at the boy with a scowl.

 

“What’s wrong with me smiling? Huh?” He growled, stowing his phone away. Nitori's paled at the look in his roommates eyes.

 

“Nothing! I’m sorry!!” Nitori cried, looking terrified. Rin rolled his eyes as his roommate scampered away. When he was sure Nitori was gone he grabbed his phone again, though he didn’t smile as wide at your latest text.

 

_ “That’s great actually! I don’t know if I told you but the club I joined was the swim club, so I’ll definitely take you up on that! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ “ - Sea Bunny. _

 

You joined Iwatobi’s Swim club? He couldn’t believe you had been teammates with Haru this whole time. He didn’t know why he felt so jealous when he thought about you swimming with him, or any of the other boys on that team. 

 

_ “Well I’ve gotta go to school, run tonight?”- Sea Bunny. _

 

Rin sat back against the wall as he thought over his options. If you were going to swim with someone it might as well be him and not one of those pansies at Iwatobi. 

  
  


_ “Nah, meet me at Samezuka after school. Bring a swimsuit.” _ Rin turned off his phone and stood up, confident that he had one more thing he wouldn’t lose to Haru at.

 

\--

 

“Who are you texting?” Kou asked you over lunch.

 

You glanced up at her. “Just this guy I met.” You shrugged. Kou gave you a look that screamed ‘you don’t think I can’t get this out of you’.

 

“Does he go here? This boy that can make you grin like that?” She asked you teasingly.

 

“No, he goes to Samezuka. And it’s not what you think, Kou. We’re not like that.” You tried to defend yourself but Kou was like a bloodhound. She wasn’t giving up that easily.

 

“Mhmm. Do I know him? My brother goes there so I know a few of his classmates.” She prodded.

 

“Kou!” You groaned, but she didn’t yield an inch. “Fine! He’s Matsuoka Rin! Okay?”

 

“. . . (Y/N).” She said, blankly.

 

“What?”

 

“What’s my last name?”

 

“You never told me. What’s up, Kou?” You asked a bit hesitantly. 

 

“(Y/N) it’s Matsuoka.” She explained, a bit of glee coming back onto her face.

 

“Wait. . . So you’re?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“So I’ve been hanging out with your brother?!”

 

“Yes!” She exclaimed. “Oh god I ship this so much!”

 

“KOU!”


	8. Finally Swimming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright I know this has been super Rin heavy but I swear the next few chapters will give the other cuties some love!!

“You’ve been texting Rin? And he actually texts you back?!” Nagisa gasped. He’d come to get you and Kou after class to see some ‘perfect new member’ and Kou, of course, told him about what she had learned. It’s not like you had wanted to keep it a big secret, but you didn’t necessarily want the most hyper boy at school gossiping about it.

 

“Yes? Is this really such a big deal?” You answered with a touch of anger. Nagisa nodded rapidly as the three of you walked along the track field.

 

“It’s GIANT! (Y/N), Rin hasn’t talked to any of us since he got back. Unless you count him threatening us at the old pool.” He grumbled. You didn’t say anything, Rin didn’t seem like someone who would do that but you didn’t know the whole story. As if Nagisa could read your mind he quickly added “Not that Rin is a bad guy or anything! He’s just . . . changed a lot since he got back from Australia. We used to swim together all the time and now he won’t even talk to us. . . ”

 

‘Well that doesn’t explain much. . .’ You looked between Nagisa and Kou before turning your eyes to the ground. You didn’t like how he had been talking about Rin. But at the same time you knew next to nothing about your hot headed friend.

 

“Rin’s going through his own stuff right now.” Kou sighed. “But anyways, Nagisa, what did you drag us out here for?” Thank god for Kou changing the subject.

 

“I found the  _ perfect _ new member on the track team! That’s why I’ve gathered everyone here, Haru and Mako-chan are meeting us up ahead.” He hummed. 

 

“How can he join us if he’s already in the track team?” Mused Kou. She glanced at you and you could only shrug, still not exactly understanding the club system here.

 

“The better question is, why are we out here watching him practice?” Asked a familiar voice. Haru was sitting down not too far from you, Makoto next to him. Said brunette eagerly patted the empty spot next to him with a grin. You sat down next to him before looking to Nagisa.

 

“I second that.” You told him. “Where is this guy?”

“Rrrrrrright, there!” Nagisa pointed, as dramatic as ever, towards a blue haired man holding a pole. “Just look at his form, it’s perfect!” Well you couldn’t argue with that. Mostly because you didn’t know enough about track and field to be able to tell. He did make the vault without hitting the bar, which was impressive enough. Kou, however, seemed to think the form of his body was interesting enough by itself. 

 

“And that’s not all!” Nagisa added smugly. “It’s fate that he joins us! Because. . . He’s a guy with a girly name, just like us!” You swear you had never seen so many people give one person a deadpan stare at once before. 

 

“That’s why you want him to join up?” Makoto asked him tiredly. “That’s ridiculous.” 

 

“I agree.” All four of you, not including Haru who of course didn’t react, jumped at the new voice. While you had all been bickering amongst yourselves it seemed like the target of your surveillance had snuck up on you. “Besides, I already told you I wasn’t joining your club. Coming to me with new people isn’t going to change that.” He looked over all of you and you couldn’t help but notice how his words slowed as he caught sight of you. 

 

“But-!” Nagisa tried to speak, probably to attempt to convince him again, but the blue boy cut him off.

 

“I said no and I meant it!” He sighed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He turned, making eye contact with you along the way. You watched as he jogged back to practice, pushing his glasses up nervously.

 

“Well, that went well.” You pulled out your cell phone and checked the time. You should probably start heading over to Samezuka to meet Rin. “And, I gotta go. I’ll see you on monday guys?” The group gave you confirmations and goodbyes as you made your way out.

  
  


Rin checked his phone again, groaning at your message. How had you managed to get lost on campus?

 

_ “Why is this place so big? How many people go here?!” -Sea Bunny _

 

_ “God, Just head towards the big building with all the windows!” _ He wrote back. Rin hadn’t expected you to get so turned around, he hadn’t had practice today and was itching to swim.

 

_ “I FOUND IT” -Sea Bunny _

 

“I found it!” You cheered, mostly to yourself, as you entered the building. It smelt and felt just like you remembered the YMCA. You had to admit you loved the warm air and smell of chlorine. You let yourself breathe it in for a minute, remembering all the times you’d come to places like this as a child.

 

“It took you long enough!” Rin growled. His voice broke you out of your revarie and you quickly made your way over to him. 

 

“Sorry about that! I wasn’t expecting this place to be so big.” You admitted. “I did remember my swim suit though!”

 

“That’s a surprise. Go get changed then, I’ve been dying to start.” He pointed you towards the girls locker room. You gave him your best withering look as you headed into the locker room. You shivered at the change in temperature. This was one walk down memory lane you could do without. Why did the changing rooms in indoor pools always have to be so cold? With a long sigh you began changing, slipping into a simple (Fav color) one piece. Once you were done you reached into your bag to grab your towel. Only to find it wasn’t there.

 

‘Rin is going to kill me. Or just give me that “why are you so stupid” look’ You sheepishly peeked out the door at Rin before deciding to bite the bullet.

 

“Hey I’ve got my suit but I forgot my towel. Can I borrow yours?” 

 

Rin sighed, readying a witty retort before all the words left his mind. He’d expected to see you in a swimsuit, hell, he’d been imagining it all night. But seeing you wear one in the flesh was making his mouth rather dry. “That’s fine.” He managed. “We can just share one.”

 

“Great! And, since you’re feeling so generous, would it be okay if you showed me some of your training exercises?” You clasped your hands in front of your chest, looking at him with big pleading eyes. You kept staring at him until he gave you an exasperated ‘yeah’. “Great! Thank you, It’s been a while since I last swam. So I gotta get used to the water again.”

 

“I’ll coach you, only for a little while, and then I’m doing my own training. Alright?” Rin told you. He was trying hard to act like he was doing you a huge favor, but he was looking forward to seeing how you’d do. “Put these goggles on and get in.” 

 

You clumsily caught them and slipped into the cold water, Rin following behind. He let you have a minute to get used to the water before starting in on you. “Now, what stroke do you usually use?”

 

“Does the doggy paddle count?” Judging from the disgusted look he gave you it did not.

 

“Alright. . . Let’s just get you started on the crawl. It should be the easiest to learn.” 

 

Rin began the lesson easily enough. He showed you the moves to the front crawl, then let you swim a few laps, correcting your form whenever he felt like you needed it. If you didn’t know better you’d think he was enjoying running his hands along your arms and legs whenever he’d stop you. You felt a swell of pride when he told you that your form wasn’t bad at all, you just needed to work on your power and kicks. After a while he left you to train in his own lane and you had to stop and watch him. He was so much faster than you, he made it look so easy. 

 

‘He really is amazing. . . He must have trained for years to get this fast. Nagisa did say he swam with them when they were kids, I bet he was fast even back then.’ You swam a few more laps as you mulled something over. Nagisa’s words kept repeating over and over again in your mind. Why had Rin cut himself off from his friends back then? Why wasn’t he talking to them now? You mulled it over and over until you decided you’d have to ask hi yourself. Pulling yourself out of the pool, you grabbed Rin’s towel and waited for him to finish up.

 

He lasted a lot longer than you and you were almost dry by the time he stopped swimming. You gathered your courage and called out to him. “Hey, Matsuoka- Senpai. . .” You started. He looked over at you, panting slightly as he pulled himself out of the pool.

 

“Yeah?” He replied. “What’s with that look?” You blinked, not even realising you had let your face fall into a contemplative frown.

 

“S-sorry. I was just. . .” You nervously fiddled with the towel he had given you. “I was just wondering, what happened between you and Haru?” Rin stopped moving. He simply looked at you quietly for a minute. “I know it’s none of my business! It’s just- The club members are all my friends. And you! Your my friend too, even if you don’t think of me as-”

 

“(Y/N). Stop ranting.” He sighed. Rin ran a hand through his hair, shaking water droplets free. You couldn’t help staring as they ran down his exposed chest. “Haru and I used to be friends. The same with Makoto and Nagisa. But I want to swim competitively. I want to get scouted! Swim for a real team! And them? They don’t even take swimming seriously and they’re still- Haru is still. . .” He trailed off, chest rising and falling. Not knowing what else to do you walked up to him and lightly placed your hand on his arm. Rin’s head snapped around, eyes moving from your soft grip on him to your (E/C) eyes. He stood there staring into those deep pools until he’d calmed down completely.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to dig too deep. But,” Your hand dropped down, giving his wrist a reassuring squeeze. “I’m glad you opened up to me. Even if you just dissed my club.” You teased him. Rin rolled his eyes, a faint flush on his cheeks, but made no move to shake you off.

 

“And!” You gasped, eyes wide. “You’re just calling me (Y/N) now, so I can call you Rin. Right?” The red head narrowed his eyes at your childish behavior. You two had been having a pretty serious moment and  _ this _ is what you’re thinking of? He tried to stay mad at you, or at the very least irritated. Tried and failed.

 

“. . . Fine!” He groaned. “But! You’re running extra tomorrow!” You immediately slumped down at his words.

 

“Ughh, you’re such a drill sergeant, Rin.” You whined, giving him your best imitation of Nagisa’s puppy dog eyes. Rin reeled back at your cute expression.

 

“H-hey! Cut that out or you’ll be running three times as long tomorrow!” 

 

“Rin!”


	9. Feelings over Feelings

You relished the opportunity to sleep past six today. In fact you enjoyed it so much that you almost slept through a series of messages.

 

_ “Hey (Y/N) do you want to come over to Haru’s for lunch?”- ? _

_ “He wants to make you mackerel again haha.” - ? _

_ “OH this is Makoto btw. Not some stranger trying to lure you over to eat mackerel.” - ? _

_ “. . . Like Haru haha.” - ? _

 

_ “(Y/N)! We’re meeting at Haru’s for lunch! Come over! Come over! Come over! Come over!” - ? _

 

You groggily opened your phone, looking at the sudden flurry of messages. The first number was definitely Makoto, and judging from their excitement the second number had to be Nagisa. You groaned and stretched out your tired limbs before checking the time. It was already almost eleven.

 

_ “K, just woke up, sorry. What time did you want to meet?” _  You texted Makoto.

 

_ “Ah! About that!” - Makoto _

_ “Nagisa got here and realised you hadn’t replied yet so he decided he’d go get you up himself. . . “ - Makoto _

 

“ **Oh no** . . .” You groaned. You had barely thrown on presentable clothes when you heard a quick knock on your door. “Coming!” You ran down the stairs, smoothing down your hair as you went. Thankfully you got the door open before Nagisa discovered the doorbell. 

 

He grinned at you innocently. “Man, (Y/N)! You look like you just woke up!” 

 

“I did,” You yawned. “I wore myself out last night.”

 

Nagisa hummed in amusement as he reached up and ran his fingers through your hair. “ Your hair’s a mess! You didn’t have to jump right out of bed to see us!” You grumbled at that as he continued to fix your mop of hair, making sure to give your scalp a few nice rubs. “Alright! Now that you look almost normal we can get going!” 

 

“So are we just meeting up to eat mackerel?” You asked him as you walked over to Haru’s.

 

“Mhmm~ it was Haru’s idea, but he didn’t have your number so he texted Mako, who texted me, and I got it from Kou. Though! You should have given your number to me before Rinrin!” He pouted, trying to look cute. You followed Nagisa inside after he opened the door for the two of you. The smell of grilled mackerel immediately hit you as you walked inside. 

 

“You didn’t ask.” You chuckled. 

 

“So Rinrin asked for your number? Man I guess we really need to step up our game.” Nagisa said slyly. Before you could process what he said you heard Makoto calling out to you.

 

“(Y/N)!” You looked at Makoto, he was sitting down in what looked like the living room as Haru cooked away behind him. He gave you a sheepish grin as you sat next to him, Nagisa settling in next to you. “Sorry about the short notice but Haru really wanted you to come. We all did” Haru glanced back, meeting your eyes briefly. You couldn’t help but smile at his shyness as he quickly got back to cooking.

 

“You should’ve seen her when she opened the door, Mako!” Nagisa snickered and leaned against you, causing you to lean against Makoto. Trapped against his tall frame all you could do was look to Makoto for help but all you got was a childish grin. Makoto wasn’t about to push you off of him, he was enjoying your warmth too much for that. “She just rolled out of bed and came over here.” Nagisa snickered and placed his head on your shoulder, knowing very well that he was forcing you up against his large friend. “Haru! When is it going to be done?”

 

“Stop complaining. It’s almost ready.” He grumbled shortly. 

 

Haru placed a plate of grilled mackerel in front of you and then gave one to everyone else. He looked at you eagerly and you could tell he was waiting for you to take a bite. You tried to move forward to grab your chopsticks but it was like you were glued in place. “When are you going to free me from this sandwich, Nagisa? I need to move around so I can eat.”

 

“Huuuh? I don’t want to move, just get Haru to feed you.”

 

“I’m not doing that! Besides Haru wouldn-” You turned towards Haru, hoping for him to back you up, but were met with a piece of fish instead. Haru was holding his chopsticks towards you, his face as blank as ever. “Haru?!”

 

“It’s going to get cold.” He told you.

 

“You’re not feeding me!” You blushed. With renewed vigor you wriggled free from your cute captors and grabbed your chopsticks. Popping a piece in your mouth as soon as you could. “Esh good.” You told him through a mouthful of mackerel. Haru sat back, feeling disappointed for some reason. He watched you quietly as you ate, Makoto and Nagisa teasing and bumping into you occasionally, and suddenly wished it was only you and him. 

 

“Haru? You alright?” Makoto asked. “You’ve barely touched your food.” Haru felt his friend’s green eyes watching him carefully, knowing something was bothering him, but he just shrugged and tucked into his food. Makoto kept looking at him a while longer. He knew what was bothering Haru because he had been feeling the same way since you moved here. 

 

Reluctantly, Makoto eased away from you. Deciding his best friend’s feelings would trump his own.


	10. Aggressor

“I’ve got good news everyone!” Kou told the swim team happily. She’d called you all to the pool as soon as classes had ended for the day with the promise of amazing news. “Since we can’t use our pool until it warms up I went ahead and got permission from Samezuka to have a joint practice!” You, and the others, immediately perked up at that. 

 

“Wow! How much flirting did you have to do to get that?” Nagisa asked.

 

“None!” Kou huffed. “And there’s a catch. We have to get another member by practice in order to participate. Sorry (Y/N), since it’s a boys only school you can’t participate in the relay with the rest of the guys, but you can still practice in the pool.”

 

“That’s fine.” You told her. “I kinda figured it would happen eventually, there aren’t any co-ed competitions after all.” 

 

“Sorry about that, (Y/N).” Said Makoto. You shrugged and told him again that you were fine with it. 

 

“We still practice together, at least we will when it warms up, and that’s more fun to me than competing is anyways.” You reassured him, earning beaming smiles from the rest of the team. 

 

“Well, if we need to get another member by tonight I know just the person!” Nagisa promised. 

 

“Are you going to go bully that track guy into joining us?” You asked Nagisa tiredly. 

 

Nagisa grabbed your hand cheerfully, beginning to pull you away. “Yup! Not just me though, you’re coming too! The two of us combined are sure to be unstoppable!” You groaned, looking to the others for help but finding none. It looked like you were stuck being dragged away by him once again. 

 

“So what are you going to do if he says no?” You mused. The two of you had already made it to the track field but hadn’t caught sight of Rei yet.

 

“He won’t!” Nagisa promised. “I told you I’m very persuasive, I got you to come with me didn’t I?”

 

“By dragging me!” You chuckled. Nagisa playfully grinned at you before turning to wave over Rei. When the blue haired boy saw Nagisa waving ecstatically he looked less than happy but he still headed over.

 

“Why are you two here?” He asked.

 

“We’re here to get you to join the swim club, we need to get another member by tonight so we can practice with Samezuka!” Nagisa explained.

 

“How is that my any of my business? I already told you I only want to participate in sports I find beautiful, and swimming is definitely not beautiful.” You perked up at that. Originally you had planned to sit back and let Nagisa do the talking, but this guy was beginning to get on your nerves.  

 

“Says who?” You interrupted. “Swimming is one of the most beautiful sports in the world. You’ve obviously never seen anyone swim competitively, and if you have you weren’t paying enough attention. I guarantee that if you come with us to practice tonight you’ll see something that’ll change your mind.” Nagisa and Rei stared at you silently and you felt yourself deflate under their gazes.

 

“Couldn’t say it better myself! So what do you say, Rei?” Cheered Nagisa.  

 

“Please just say yes, Rei. He’s not going to leave you alone unless you do.” Rei looked at you and sighed, he knew you were right.

 

“Fine!” He grumbled. “I’ll go with you to tonight’s meeting on a trial basis. However, I won’t swim. Got that?” Nagisa nodded eagerly and you found yourself grinning along with him. 

 

“All right! We’ll go get everyone else while you get changed out of your track gear, then we can head out!” Rei muttered a quick yes before watching Nagisa and you walk away. He didn’t understand why his heart was beating so fast. Was it the way you had spoken to him about swimming, or the passionate look in your eyes while doing so? 

  
  
  


“Has it been awhile since you last swam?” You asked Haru as the team, including Rei, walked through the Samezuka campus.

 

“Yeah.” He nodded. Haru looked excited at the mere thought of swimming and with each step towards the pool he seemed happier and happier. You had to admit you were feeling happy too. You hadn’t seen Rin’s teammates before and you were looking forward to seeing him swim with everyone. 

 

“You look pretty happy too, (Y/N).” Makoto noted.

 

“Yeah, I haven’t been part of a team in years so I’m kinda just excited to be here.” You admitted. Kou lead you all into the building and you marveled at the amount of people stretching and swimming. The Samezuka swim team was huge, it made your club look a bit pathetic to be honest. But with all these people where was your angry red head. . .

 

“Rin, hey!” You jogged up to your friend happily when you caught sight of him. He looked surprised to see you.

 

“(Y/N)?” He said, giving you a small smile. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Kou arranged a joint practice with you guys. Didn’t she tell you?” You asked, but Rin wasn’t paying attention anymore his eyes were looking past you. You glanced back and realised Rin was staring straight at Haru, an unreadable expression on his face. “Rin?” You reached out to him but he slapped your hand away.

 

“Screw this.” He growled, stalking away. You were left staring after him, shocked and confused. You didn’t move until Kou gently placed a hand on your shoulder.

 

“(Y/N) are you okay? Did he hit you?” She asked you, nervously.

 

“No. No he didn’t. It’s okay,” You told her, glancing back to where Rin was. He really had left practice just because your team had come too. Or rather, because Haru was here. “Let’s just start practicing.” Kou looked at you as you stalked away, determined to find out what had happened between them.


End file.
